Police Violence at ICAAP 10
Police have beaten and arrested Korean activists at a peaceful protest against the free trade agreement at the 10th International Congress on AIDS in the Asia Pacific (ICAAP) in Busan in South Korea. Some of my colleagues are over there, and are thankfully all fine. More information can be found here and here. A statement [...]
...read moreReview of Decriminalisation in New Zealand
I know I’ve been a little “all sex work all the time” in my posting lately (because it’s important, dammit) and I promise I’m not a total one-trick pony, but I thought some of you might this interesting. I linked to it in the comment thread on my post on the Swedish model. It’s the [...]
...read moreAbortion in Australia
Sometimes, when reading about the horrors befalling people who can bear children who attempt to obtain abortions in countries where abortion is restricted, an Australian observer may be lulled into a false sense of security. “Gee,” they may think. “I’m so glad that abortion is freely available and legal in Australia.” Unless they live in [...]
...read moreMental illness, Disclosure, and Emergency Services
Disclosure is an issue that most people with mental illnesses struggle with. Stigma against mental illness is widespread, and can range from ideas that we are unreliable through to beliefs that we are downright dangerous. Mentally ill people can be characterised as liars, as unbelievable, or as unreliable witnesses, which is something that becomes an [...]
...read moreDecriminalisation in NSW Under Threat
I mentioned in my entry on the proposed WA sex industry legislation that the system of sex industry decriminalisation in New South Wales, the Australian state I live and work in, is currently under threat. Sex work was decriminalised in NSW primarily in response to massive police corruption. The Wood Royal Commission found that police [...]
...read moreJust a Few Reasons Why the Proposed WA Sex Industry Legislation Is Shit
As some of you may be aware, I live and do sex work in a state of Australia where sex work is currently decriminalised. That decriminalisation is currently under threat, and I’ll cover that in a later post. What I want to talk about in this post, however, is the legal state of affairs in [...]
...read moreOn the Northern Territory Intervention
I haven’t written a great deal about the Northern Territory Intervention. I’ve been following some of what’s been happening, and I’ve attended a few events and forums, but I’ve generally kept my mouth shut on the topic. Part of this is because I’m just not well informed enough about the Intervention to consider myself an [...]
...read moreThe Can Do Bar
Even amongst many people who support decriminalisation or legalisation of sex work, the role of sex industry business managers or owners is controversial. Many people who are reasonably comfortable with sex workers earning money from performing sexual services themselves are less comfortable with the idea of someone else making money from someone else’s sexual labour, [...]
...read moreFeminist Futures, Safety, Inclusivity and Community
In late May, I attended the Melbourne Feminist Collective’s Feminist Future’s Conference, held in Melbourne. I posted round ups of the conference events here and here. I wanted, however, to delve a little further into some of the events and issues surrounding the conference, particularly safety, inclusivity and community. For those who aren’t aware of [...]
...read moreWelcome to Country
Hi! I’m hexy, and I’ll be guest blogging here for the next two weeks. Some of you may remember me from my previous guest blogging stints at Feministe, or may know me from my own little blog, Hexpletive.com. I usually blog on sex workers rights, Indigenous Australian issues and race, disability rights and mental illness/non [...]
...read moreA disability services funding wishlist
Here in the state of New South Wales, Australia, we have an election coming up on 26 March, so help us all. The head of the state government, Premier Kristina Keneally of the Australian Labor Party, has pledged $30 million in disability services funding. She’s not going to be re-elected – I’ve never known an [...]
...read moreThe Character of a City
Every so often, someone releases a list of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live. Here’s an ABC News article on one from the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, listing the most unaffordable cities in the English-speaking world in relation to wages. My town is Sydney, ranking in second place. I’ve [...]
...read more
Recent Comments